1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of substitution encoding and un-encoding of text. More particularly, the present invention relates to software and a method for formulating a key based upon a user input and for encoding clear text using a cipher based upon the formulated key. The present invention also relates to software and a method for discovering a key based upon a user input and for decoding encoded text using a cipher based upon the discovered key.
2. Description of the Related Art
Strategic corporate information is oftentimes a key differentiator in the current competitive marketplace. The value of such key elements of corporate knowledge requires a measure of protection especially when such information is transmitted over publicly accessible media such as the Internet. Commercially available data encoding and un-encoding methodologies are time-consuming and usually require that both transmitting and receiving parties access identical, often substantial, encoding reference material.
Substitution ciphers provide an easy method of encoding text. Substitution cipher systems substitute one character for another; however this system often suffers from an inherent weakness when substituting frequently occurring characters, such as the letters E and S in English text, into similarly recurring encoded characters. This allows for the substitution cipher to be easily deciphered.
There is a need, therefore, for an efficient encoding and un-encoding system that is easily portable, difficult to decipher, and that provides output in real time.